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Wis. Police Probe Parking Meter Thefts

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

WAUSAU, Wis. - Maybe they were tired of the tickets. Thieves have stolen nearly $25,000 worth of city parking meters so far this summer, according to the Department of Public Works.

Although typically one or two meters are stolen each summer, never before have several been stolen at a time, public works director John Hess said.

"Whoever is doing this is taking a heck of a chance just for some nickels and dimes," Hess said.

Wausau police in May began investigating $3,500 in damage to city parking meters that were reported missing. A YMCA employee discovered parts of five parking meters in the fountain on the building's east side, and nearby, meters were missing from several spaces.

Then last week, a Wausau parking officer saw that someone had removed two meters from one lot and 14 meters from another. Meters also were taken from two other lots last week, Hess said.

The city hasn't calculated the exact number of missing meters, but at $650 apiece, officials estimate it will cost about $25,000 to replace them. That's about 38 meters.

Hess said the meters are emptied frequently, so even the theft of several meters probably would yield only around $50.

"It's hard to believe that someone could be so gutsy to pull 14 meters out in the downtown," he said.

Wausau Patrol Inspector Bryan Hilts said officers don't have much to go on. In some cases, the meters and the poles they were on were stolen, while in others, meters were damaged but not stolen.

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Information from: Wausau Daily Herald, http://www.wausaudailyherald.com

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